Rajasthan: Indian Air Force Staffer Leaks Defence Secrets to Pakistan For Rs 3.25 Lakh Deal

The Rajasthan Police’s intelligence wing has accused Sumit Kumar, a civilian employee arrested from the Air Force Station in Assam’s Chabua, of leaking sensitive defence information to Pakistan-based handlers in exchange for money. Kumar allegedly received nearly Rs 3.25 lakh for sharing classified inputs and attempted to cover his tracks by deleting crucial chats and data from his mobile phone. A Jaipur court on Monday remanded him to custody until April 2, as agencies try to unravel the full scale of the espionage network.

Kumar, a resident of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, had been posted at the Chabua Air Force Station in Assam’s Dibrugarh district and was earlier stationed in Shillong, the headquarters of the Indian Air Force’s Eastern Air Command. He was apprehended on Sunday in a coordinated operation involving Rajasthan Police and Air Force intelligence.

According to Prafful Kumar, additional director general (Intelligence), the accused established contact with Pakistani operatives via social media and had allegedly been transmitting classified material since 2023. “He was sharing confidential information in exchange for money. So far, transactions amounting to nearly Rs 3.25 lakh have been traced,” the ADG said. “We need to determine the exact nature of the information he shared and identify his handlers in Pakistan,” he added.

The probe gathered pace following the arrest of Jaisalmer resident Jhabraram on January 30, who reportedly led investigators to Kumar. “His name emerged as a key link in the network, following which he was placed under surveillance,” an official close to the investigation said.

Authorities suspect Kumar exploited his role to access and leak highly sensitive details, including fighter aircraft deployment, missile systems, and personnel information from Air Force stations in Chabua and Nal in Bikaner.

Officials further revealed that Pakistani handlers used fake social media profiles to maintain covert communication channels with Kumar, masking their identities while orchestrating the information exchange.

Strategically located near the international borders with China and Myanmar, the Chabua Air Force Station remains a critical defence installation, raising serious concerns over the potential security implications of the breach.